Quake Stag Shooting seat

Anyone who uses a hide regularly will be familiar with the problem of finding a good seat - the major issues being stability and ease of movement - but new the Stag All Terrain Seat (ATS) from RUAG could well be the answer.

I first saw the Stag on the Bergara Barrels stand at IWA 2010, and even though Bergara didn’t have a UK distributor at the time, their European Manager, Juan Angel García, kindly sent me one to try out, so this is definitely a long-term test!

The seat is produced by US company Quake, whose Claw slings and Hush Stalker swivels are probably already familiar to most readers. Like Quake’s other products, the ATS is primarily made of tough plastic, olive green in colour and with a matte finish. This also helps keep the weight down to around 2.6 kg.

Compact Pack

The first thing that strikes you when you take the ATS out of its box is how small it packs down, thanks to its folding back rest, and telescopic legs that stow away in the base of the seat: so it’ll fit into, or strap neatly onto, most back-packs. There are also a couple of slots on the back rest and base to allow you to fit a sling directly to the seat. I think Quake have missed a trick by not supplying a dedicated sling with the ATS – though RUAG do provide a carrying/storage bag . However, a simple key ring and a spare strap from a gun slip quickly made up the deficit.

To assemble the seat you first pinch in the sprung detentes at the top of the legs and slide them out of their storage channels in the seat base. Then, with the underside of the base uppermost, you slot them into the four integrated brackets provided, where the detentes hold them securely in place. Now stand the seat on its feet and fold out the back-rest. At this point you can adjust the length of the telescopic legs from 16” to 23.5” to give both a comfortable sitting position and to compensate for any slope or unevenness of the ground. The ATS has broad circular feet that resist sinking on soft ground, and its combination of individually adjustable legs and four-square stance make it exceptionally stable, whatever the terrain.

Silent Swivelling!

The base of the seat comprises both a lower and an upper disk, with a silent swivel bearing in between, so you can turn noiselessly in any direction, and the hinged back rest is attached to the upper part so it turns with you. Meanwhile a thin green cushion provides a modicum of padding and is attached with Velcro, so that it can easily be removed for cleaning.

Overall, the design of the seat is very good –words such as “robust”, “compact” and “versatile” spring readily to mind - but it is, it must be said, a little Spartan when it comes to comfort. This is due partly to the back rest, which obliges you to sit up very straight, and partly to its slender cushion, but mostly to the small size of the seat area, which is just 30 cm in diameter. How your (stereo) typical American gets on with it I can’t imagine, but even this Brit felt it could do with being more generously proportioned and padded. Nevertheless, the Stag will support an amazing 227 kg, so whatever size you are it won’t give up on you!

Such criticisms aside, I’ve yet to find a more stable seat, or one that makes it easier to transition from sitting to taking the shot. Whether you’re mounting a shotgun or shooting a rifle off sticks, it gets you into position quicker and more easily than anything else I’ve tried. And when it’s not in use in the field it sits at my reloading bench, doing double duty as a compact swivel chair. What’s more, mine has now seen over two years of regular use and is still going strong!

For information on stockists, visit www.ruag.co.uk or contact RUAG Ammotec UK. Tel: 01579 362319